The Shasta Library Foundation was established in 1991 in response to a continuing weak financial base with the purpose of providing funding stability and enhancing the services and resources of the library through the creation of a permanent endowment. In the mid-1990s, the Shasta Library Foundation received a bequest from the Elizabeth G. Hyatt Trust that funded a restricted Book Fund and the assets of the Redding Women’s Club provided the beginning of the General Endowment Fund. The Shasta Library Foundation board members spent most of the 1990s participating in numerous committees, task forces, and commissions looking for ways to improve library services and facilities.
The first library in Redding was a Carnegie library built in 1903 in Library Park with a grant from the Carnegie Foundation. Redding Library was the first library in Shasta County.
The Carnegie Library became part of the Shasta County Library system, which formed in 1949. The system thrived for several decades – culminating 23 branches including Cottonwood, Shasta Lake City, Lakehead, Whitmore, Anderson, Shingletown & Burney to name a few locations.
Proposition 13 negatively impacted funding for the library and ultimately resulted in its closure in 1987.
In 1988 Shasta County reopened three library branches– Redding, Burney and Anderson with funding assistance from the Cities of Redding and Anderson, the Burney residents and community, and later, the Friends of the Shasta County Libraries.
In the mid-1990s, the Shasta Library Foundation received a bequest from the Elizabeth G. Hyatt Trust that funded a restricted Book Fund and the assets of the Redding Women’s Club provided the beginning of the General Endowment Fund. The Shasta Library Foundation board members spent most of the 1990s participating in numerous committees, task forces, and commissions looking for ways to improve library services and facilities.
Library Construction and Renovation Bond Act passed to provide new Redding Library for the citizens of Shasta County. The Shasta Library Foundation’s board members worked in collaboration with the City of Redding to develop the New Library Now campaign, which raised the local funding needed to obtain the California State grant.
Under the leadership of the Shasta Library Foundation, a final task force addressed the significant ongoing operational, financial, and governance issues challenging Shasta Public Libraries. The recommendation was for a joint city/county public library system with the City of Redding owning the Redding Library headquarters, the County retaining ownership of the Burney and Anderson branches.
The new Redding Library opened in March 2007 with a huge community celebration, including a passing of the books from the old library to the new library.
The Shasta Library Foundation continues to play a leadership role with a permanent representative on the five member citizen Library Advisory Committee advising the Redding City Council which serves as the Library Board.
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